| Bones of Contention
From the time of its establishment till the Revolution and somewhat beyond, the college was the successful answer of Alexandrias francophone society to the famous British Victoria College. Today, the Frères of St. Jean Baptiste de la Salle run a bustling establishment of some 2,500 students who study French as a foreign language. To historians, the college has a further import: built close to the site of the long-vanished church and oratory of St. Mark, it stands as a reminder of the beginning of Christianity in Alexandria. Saint Mark is credited for having been the first to preach the Gospel in Alexandria; Although his identity is somewhat controversial, he is acknowledged by the Coptic Church to have gained his first convert in 45 AD on his arrival in the city (a Jewish shoemaker named Anianus) and to have continued to preach until he was martyred by the Romans in 62 AD for speaking against the cult of Serapis, an anthropomorphic deity with Egyptian and Hellenistic roots.
Toronto vs. Washington
The Wizards will again be without Butler on Wednesday night as they go for the sweep at the Air Canada Centre, where the Raptors have been surging lately. Butler, who is hoping to be among the Eastern Conference All-Star reserves to be announced Thursday, is averaging a team-high 21.9 points, and missed just his second game of the season in Washington's 108-104 overtime victory over Toronto on Tuesday at the Verizon Center. The victory pushed the Wizards (24-19) into a tie with Cleveland for fourth place in the East, a half-game ahead of the Raptors (24-20). Washington won for the ninth time in 13 games, but it also was only its fifth victory in 21 games without Butler over the past two seasons. Butler scored a season-high 40 in Sunday's 105-102 overtime loss to Milwaukee, but strained his left hip flexor and didn't travel with the team to Toronto.
Man returns to thank rescuer
During Appling's homecoming, the first since a brief visit at age 17, he dined in the kitchen of his old friend and Inman's daughter, Betsy Inman Selover, who put him up in her guest room and guided a tour featuring a visit to Inman's living room, a Thursday church supper in Candor and a Friday fish fry at the Eagle's Club in Ithaca with surprise reunions with old friends and family along the way. Even though he had not been back, the friendships and getting pulled out of the water left their mark. "That act carried me all my life, of how I would interact with people," he said. Appling was known then as Bobby Powell, the adopted son of Steve Powell, who's now 83 and still lives on Roe Road, where the family moved from Winedance, Long Island, when Appling was 5. With Appling's mother an African-American and Cajun, and Steve Powell an African-American who'd grown up in New York City, the two men said they were the only African-American family in Willseyville in those days.
Going gluten-free
William Barbeau, associate professor of nutrition at Virginia Tech, attributes the growth to two factors. First, he said, physicians are becoming more knowledgeable about celiac disease. The disorder can be diagnosed with a blood test, but a biopsy of the small intestine is the gold standard, he said. Second, Barbeau believes that some people have put themselves on an elimination diet and are avoiding gluten in order to get to the bottom of their health problems. “My sense of it is more people hear about food allergies," he said, “and then they jump to the conclusion that they have a food allergy." Whatever the reasons, I had no trouble finding folks in the Roanoke and New River valleys who suffer from gluten intolerance. In fact, I was virtually inundated with replies.
Much ado about next to nothing
Many of the car drivers were familiar with her Sunday routine and took appropriate care when nearing her. Some slowed to offer a ride but she always refused politely. She always blessed them. She continued in this manner for almost two hours, sometimes longer depending on weather or road construction, until she reached the entrance to the parking lot of the hospital. She remembered when she could make the walk in less time, but that seemed long ago. She made her way to a fenced area in the back of the hospital and pushed through the gate. Inside the fence lay a manicured courtyard landscaped with gardenias, camellias, azaleas and various grasses and flowers. The azaleas were not in bloom. Patients sat on benches or strolled the courtyard, some accompanied by visitors, some alone. Some called her name in greeting.
Baffled and concerned
While I am pleased that the Times-Herald has shown a spotlight on Wal-Mart's delaying tactics in Vallejo ("What has happened to Vallejo's Wal-Mart," Jan. 19), paper, I am baffled that the paper's staff thinks the Suisun City Wal-Mart is out of Vallejo's concern. Many Vallejoans work at Travis AFB and use David Grant Medical Center. The Travis Airport Land Use Committee rejected Wal-Mart's application to build a supercenter on Highway 12 because it was a non compliant use of land which is right at the end of the airstrip at Travis. The chair of the land use commission, Col. John Foster, is now under fire by Wal-Mart's allies for this action. Vice Mayor Jane Day claimed that the Col. Foster refused to let the Wal-Mart attorneys testify at the hearing denying Wal-Mart's application.
Shiny new Shoppes at Palazzo Mall's retailers say they can weather ...
The Barneys inside the Shoppes at Palazzo features a spiral staircase. Mall merchants hope the novelty of 34 new-to-market stores and restaurants will attract patrons and overcome dour economic headlines.
Photos by Craig L. Moran
Merchandise for sale on the first floor of the Barneys store inside the Shoppes at Palazzo includes jewelry, cosmetics and accessories.
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